Extreme Makeover: The CrochetMe Edition

What do you think of the new look?We've had a makeover here at the CrochetMe enewsletter. And even better, we've had a makeover at CrochetMe.com.

We have a fine community center at CrochetMe.com. But you know how things get a bit cluttered over time.
You can't find that tool you need to finish your project. You've lost
track of a memo you had to ask someone something. And, good golly,
could someone move that pile of stuff off my chair already!

So we had a little feng shui action. All the good stuff is still there—free crochet patterns, forums, blogs—but
we've organized them into new drawers and cabinets, so they're easier
to find. We spruced up the walls, so you can hang pictures of your
works in progress and finished objects in the Galleries. You can settle in with a read at the Blogs—all our posts are there in case you want to catch up. And you'll find a cache of CrochetMe enewsletters—no more sifting through your email for that crochet tip! Catch up on a conversation in the Forums. And you can preview our print magazine Interweave Crochet right
there, instead of skipping over to another site (just click on
Magazine). And there's lots more—head on over and start opening drawers
and see what you can find.

And, yes, we've moved that pile of stuff off your favorite chair, so come on over and crochet awhile.

Comments

i love the new look of the layout, but for some reason, the font is so small it's nearly impossible to read. just the font of the posts, and not the font of the rest of the page :) thanks for a great site!

I don't know if I like the look...Some of the fun seems to be drained from the site. I don't really like the new phrase "linking the crochet community." Crochet me is "fueling the crochet revolution." It is ment to empower the crocheters out there! The site looks nice but it just does not have the zest that it had before.

I have finally been able to see all the patterns in the free pattern section. Before the changes I would browse around, but there were many cute ones I missed. So much thanks for the way you have organized them. It makes looking at patterns much easier. I cant comment yet on all the changes, but if they are as good as the pattern section I will be very happy. Thanks for all the hard work!

Not sure yet about the site. It's very 'internet-modern'. I agree the font is somewhat small. Fueling the Crochet Revolution does it more for me than whatever the new slogan is. I was not able to find everything , specifically I had a WIP thread going that seems to have disappeared. As for zest (what a great word!) I think it will return once people get used to where everything is. It's always been the people who give this site zest!

I'm actually having a lot of trouble finding patterns. I know they are all there but I don't like how they are not categorized. Or are they? The new format is a bit confusing to me.

I also agree that "fueling the crochet revolution" works better than "linking the crochet community" because "linking....." adds to the thought of crocheting being matronly and old fashion, but this site has really cute and modern stuff!

The "cache of CrochetMe enewsletters" appears to be blended into the rest of the blog posts. Couldn't it be stored separately as a searchable archive with a link at the top of the home page? On my screen, there's a wide black border, and when I click to change pages, there's a momentary totally black screen -- like falling down a hole. What about filling the whole screen with the white background, and enlarging the copy? Onward and upward.

I love everything about the "newness". I have always loved your site but sometimes had problems remembering where that project was I wanted to see again, or sometimes had to search for a long periods of time. Great improvement, I haven't had a problem reading or finding anything on the site. I like that you can browse interweave without leaving the site and I wish you even more success and goodwill for 2010, Thank you for keeping our needles busy, our receivers content and now with an even more refined site-- we can all get more done!! Thanks.

For specific site help, please email our Customer Support department at customerservice@interweave.com.

gmtz16 - Is there a specific pattern you are looking for? They should all be there, but if we are missing any, please let me know and we will get them added.

Cecilia77 - It sounds like your email server has a filtering system set up. Can you forward us an email that you are seeing this problem with? Email it to customerservice@interweave.com and I will have our Email Specialist take a look at it.

Tracismom1 - It sounds like there is a setting between your computer and printer that is causing the problem, but can you give me any more information? Is your computer giving you an error when you try to print?

As far as the font size, I am consulting with our Web Developer on that.

Keep the questions and comments coming! I will answer them all as quickly as I can.

I just love things that are unique and have their own identity clearly defined, as the old Crochet Me Site did. Now it is just another gear in the works at Interweave. What a shame to rob the site of something that set it apart from the rest.

I really miss how each member's website name and link was visible in their Bio, this was part of my enjoyment of the site is that I can check out other members' work that interest me and get to know them a little bit through their website. On this new set up, this is no longer the case. Are members still allowed to have a link from Crochet Me to their blogs or website on this new Crochet Me? I feel that the new set up does not encourage this anymore.

Hi zoe cro-z! You can still link to your bio and put whatever you'd like in it. Just click on the "Edit Profile" link in the upper right-hand corner. There's space in there for you to talk about yourself, and below that, list your location, your birthday (if you desire to share that with everyone), and below that a web address and blog entry.

I appreciate the slightly more stream-lined appearance, but why does the home page have to be topped with a big ad for the store. It feels too commercial.

Also, you just HAVE TO go back to "fueling the crochet revolution" or something similar. "Linking" feels to tech-y, not energizing enough.

Oh, and for people who are bothered by the dark borders on the sides, those are probably there because they want the site to present nicely in all browsers on all computer operating systems. So, if you have a snazzy 17" laptop (yeah, I know, it's more of a desktop replacement), you're going to have side borders because you have more room for "stuff" than lots of other people. Though maybe a different color or a funky design would be nicer.

There isn't a specific pattern I am looking for. I just think categorized patterns make the sight user friendly. Its a little annoying to have to look through every single pattern of afghans and baby booties if I just want to look at bags.

For those of you having trouble navigating the pattern sections, I've got two hints to hopefully make the process easier.

First, there's a search engine bar in the upper right hand corner. If you're looking for a pattern for a bag, type in "bag" or bags or any variation there of and you'll get a list of all bag patterns on the site.

Second, if you click on the pattern link in the navigation bar, then click on the Free CrochetMe Patterns, and then scroll down a little ways, you'll see what we call a "tag cloud." It's full of the most commonly-used tags on the site, and you'll see that "bags" has made the list. Clicking on the word "bags" in the tag cloud will bring up every pattern in the Free CrochetMe Patterns gallery that is tagged as being a bag pattern.

Explore, push buttons, try to break the site (and let us know if you do, so we can ask the IT folks to fix it!), and have fun crocheting!